Cecil's Canto
by AnimeArcher4
Summary: There are 2 sides to every story. Except this one. My first fic so read and review please!
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fic, so excuse any spelling errors and such. Ok?

It was the big day, for me at least. I was going to ask Selena to go to the formal with me, Cecil. We had been friends for a while, and according to "50 Ways to Tell if a Girl Likes You", she liked me. We both liked the same things; soccer, tennis, reading, and video games. Yeah, I know, it sounds like a stretch for a girl to like video games, but bear with me. We had continually tried to beat Niflheim on Mania mode in the game Tales of Symphonia for several weeks now. Every Tuesday she came over and we tried to beat it together, using the little known multiplayer mode. It was Tuesday today, and stormy. My mother had just gone out to "get some groceries, so don't do any funny business you kids," We assured her we wouldn't, then sat on the couch to try and best Niflheim.

We didn't get very far. An ADVANCED ALERT from my cell told me that there'd be a major storm over Haddon in 2 minutes. _Damned technology…_ I decided to forget about it, and press on into the Second Sanctum. The storm raged on. Selena glanced out the window.

"Hey, Cecil, it's getting kind of stormy. Maybe we should stop?" I shook my head.

"My cell says that it passes right over us. It'll be fine," Selena gave me an 'I know you aren't telling the truth but I'll believe you anyway' look. Don't ask me how I know that look, I just do.

"Whatever," she sighed. Gotta love teenage dissonance.

We continued playing. She liked to charge in as Lloyd, then run away and use a gel, whereas I preferred to soften up the enemies with Genis' techs, then strike with Kratos, and run away. Anyways. We were on the 14th floor. Mother Nature seemed particularly pissed at the Earth today, because she was opening up. Buckets of rain poured down from the heavens, and lightning struck down. I was caught up in watching nature's fury that I didn't pay attention to what was going on.

"Uh…Cecil…" Selena was tugging my sleeve. I turned around and was greeted with…

"Aw shit." The GameCube was emitting sparks erratically. I rushed up to the power outlet to unplug it, but to my amazement, it wasn't plugged in, in the first place!

"This is bad," said Selena, panicky. "What do we do Cecil?"

"Don't look at me! I don't know!" It was right out of a fan-fiction. Selena apparently couldn't or wouldn't let go of the controller. The GameCube was working but not plugged in. I, stupidly, tried to rip the controller out of Selena's hands. Of course, then it decided to weld itself to my hands too. I looked up at the screen.

The screen was snowing over. It appeared to be moving back in the game, from the Derris Emblem, to Origin's seal, to Zelos' betrayal, to the Iselia Ranch, to the Tower of Salvation, to the Tower of Mana, to Sheena, to the Fire Seal, to Iselia. When I looked back at the controller I yelped. The controller- and mine and Selena's hand, for that matter- were gone, replaced by a gaping hole.

I, smartly, decided to reach in with my other hand to try and wrench the other one out. Of course, my other hand was sucked into this hole. I then felt a wrenching in my gut, and then all of my body was sucked in. I was falling, falling, falling…

You know, I'd love to tell you I had some spiritual awakening or deep revelation. But really? The only thing I thought was GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I landed with a THUMP. I used a word that would get me slapped by my mother. I got up, stretching. I was on…

"Wealgia?" (Or Welagia, I don't have the energy to look it up- Author) The city of angels was right around me, from the soulless angels to the big vending machine things. There was a slight buzzing noise, which was becoming louder and louder. I looked up.

"Aw shi-" Something landed on top of me. Man she weighed a TON. Of course I wouldn't tell her that.

"Oof, Selena, you lummox, get off of me," I growled. Selena, for it was obviously Selena, hopped off of me. "Sorry," she apologized, helping me up. "Where are we?"

I sighed. "I haven't got a- got a- got-" _Oh God…_ Angels were heading towards us, and they didn't look happy. Actually, they didn't look like anything. They didn't have emotions, you know? At any rate, the angels silently surrounded Selena and I. _Dammit, what the hell is going on? _The angels looked ready for a fight.

"Uh…hi guys. Wanna hear a joke? Ok, a rabbi, a priest, and a blind man walk into a bar. And the, uh, rabbi says…" My comedic styling had no effect. I whispered to Selena, "I'll distract them. You run." She shook her head.

"I lived in New York for 4 years before I came here. I can fight." I sighed. It would be no good to fight her, and she might as well die fighting. I decided to attack a little guy, not much taller than me.

I shuddered. Someone was watching me from above. I looked up. A flash of purple, and a thin saber crashed down onto the cobblestone street. _Excellent_. I had taken a couple of fencing electives at Haddon, and could use a saber with some decency. I hefted it up. God, it weighed a ton! But it was my only shot. I saluted the angels, as tradition dictates, and then charged.

The angels were actually real weaklings. After being sliced at once with this mysterious blade, they would scream, "Pain does not compute!" and explode. I'm not kidding. Similarly, when Selena sucker-punched an angel, it would crumple to the ground.

Despite all, it was no good. There were just too many angels, and the saber was getting heavier with every slice. Selena looked tired too. Have YOU ever punched 20 people in the stomach? It ain't fun. An angel with a mace was swinging it around. I had no energy left for a parry. He swung it at me, and thinking of the irony, I let it come.

Strangely, I did not crumple to the ground and die of massive blood loss. I looked up. The angel was twitching on the ground, and his fellows had backed up. _What the…_ Kratos was standing in front of me, with a grim smile.

"Get out of the way," he intoned. I obeyed, dragging Selena, who had been knocked unconscious, out of the way.

Kratos then released his angel wings with a burst of blue, and commanded,

"I am Lord Aurion. Be gone angels!" The angels scrambled. It was a good thing Selena was knocked out, or else she would be "glomping" Kratos. The angel turned to me.

"Come with me. Bring your friend." I decided a bit of servility would be called for here, so I said,

"Yes, Kratos." Wrong move. Kratos drew his sword, the Flamberge, and held it against my throat.

"How do you know my name?" I swore inwardly. I said nothing, thinking of my options. I couldn't really think of any but come clean.

Kratos pressed the blade tighter. "How?"

I sighed. How would I begin? "Well, where I come from, a place called Earth, this place- and Sylvarant and Tethe'alla- are all part of what's called a video game. A video game is an electronic view of usually fictitious events. And if you get that sword out of my face I'll tell you more, Kratos!"

He didn't take the bait, or remove the sword, so I used my ace in the hole.

"Oh yes, I know all about you, Kratos Aurion. And your wife and son, Anna and Lloyd. Now put the sword down." He grudgingly sheathed his sword.

"That's much better. Now will you help me carry her or what?" I said, jerking my head towards Selena. He said nothing, only nodded toward a warp portal and started walking. I dragged Selena over the portal. _Now what?_ I thought, waiting for something to happen. Kratos barked a word, and a swooshing feeling in my chest told me I was being transported.

We appeared outside a mini-mansion of sorts. _The Seraphim palace, I guess_. Kratos appeared to be hoping no one would see him. He sighed as a blue-haired half elf came running toward him. _Yuan._

"Kratos, I-" he noticed me, bruised and bleeding, and Selena, knocked out.

"Yuan, nobody needs to know about this," said Kratos urgently, "Especially Mith- Lord Yggdrassil." Yuan appeared to understand. He, thankfully, helped me carry Selena into the mansion.

The mansion was much bigger on the inside than the outside. I tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened. It gave me a headache, so I stopped.

Kratos stopped in a grand dining room. Yuan helped me hoist Selena into a chair and left, mumbling something about Rheairds. Kratos sat down as well, gesturing me toward a chair next to him.

I told him everything- about how I got here, about the game, everything EXCEPT how the game ends. I had read enough science fiction to know what would happen if a person knew his future. They would explode or something. As we talked, it grew dark, and Selena did not wake, although she did murmur and stir occasionally. And eventually the talk turned to me.

"So what are we to do with you Cecil? We cannot keep you in Wealgia." I had been thinking about this for a while.

"Could I come with you on the journey of regeneration?"

"Me too!" I jumped. Selena had woken up, or had been feigning sleep and taking in every word. I guessed the latter. Kratos sighed.

"You may, but there is a catch. One of you must become an angel."

"How? Through a Cruxis Crystal?" Selena asked.

"Yes, and also a Rune Crest and a chunk of Aionis. (Or however the hell it's spelled- Author) It will not be a pleasant experience. The Rune Crest is to control the crystal and the Aionis is for controlling the angelic abilities. You will temporarily lose your senses and voice. I do not minimize the pain and suffering that you will feel."

Selena looked away. I sighed.

"Fine. Just do it quick." I stood up, as did Selena and Kratos. He headed toward a door marked "Seraphim Only", and flung it open. Inside was a storage room, filled to the brim with shelves and boxes.

"We're gonna have to go through all of these, aren't we?" Selena sighed.

"…"

"I'll take that as a yes."

We looked through the boxes, which was all the fun of watching paint dry and watching grass grow combined in one package. Eventually Selena cried out that she had found the crystal and I found the Rune Crest hidden under what looked like copious bottles of hair gel. I suspected Kratos. I also found a small rock, which I guessed to be Aionis.

We returned to the dining room. Kratos looked into my eyes.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Do I have much of a choice? Just attach it already!" He pushed the Cruxis Crystal onto my chest. Instantly I felt stronger. I also felt an explosive feeling in my shoulder bones, like something was pushing out. I looked over my shoulder. "Holy…" I had shining purple wings on my back fluttering serenely. Kratos held out the Aionis.

"What am I supposed to do with this? Swallow it?" Kratos nodded gravely.

"Are you serious? I was only joking!" I sighed, and swallowed the stone. It tasted like burnt crayons, with a side of stringy asparagus. I nearly choked, but forced it down.

"You both should get some rest. The angelic transformation will not be easy, and you need sleep while you still can."

We had decided that Selena and I would sleep in the servant's quarters, and if anyone were to question us, we would say that we were apprentices of Kratos. I had hardly made it to the bed when I collapsed. I fell asleep immediately, like a log.

Author's Note- Please review! Seriously, anything you write will be taken into consideration.

And I need a good story name, if anyone would like to suggest one. The best title suggest-er will receive a cookie of their choice. And everyone gets a cookie for just plain reviewing. So review!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here it is. Sorry for the delay, I was finished for a while but I didn't get a chance to upload it until today. So, eh, sorry?

Chapter 2

I rolled out of bed, still half asleep.

"Man, I had the weirdest dream yesterday. It was like some fanfiction…I got turned into an angel or summat." Yawning and scratching, I didn't realize that the room looked nothing like my room, or the fact that the bed I rolled out of was a bunk bed, with a mumbling form on the top.

I, carrying out my morning ritual, looked in my pockets and placed the contents into the clothes laid out. I pulled on the underwear and jeans, yawning. Then when I tried to pull on the shirt…it wouldn't fit. I blinked, and tried again. There was something on my back. I blearily looked over my shoulder…

"Ah shit." I had fluttering purple angel wings. So much for my dream. I can tell you that sure woke me up. I guessed the mumbling noise in the bunk above to be Selena. I climbed the latter, trying to remember what Kratos had said to me before I went to bed. The wings could be put away…somehow. I paused halfway up, thinking.

"Eh…go away?" I asked my wings, painfully aware of how stupid I sounded.

"Why?" I jumped. Selena was awake, and she had obviously been watching me. Damn it she was good at that.

"Because I can't put my shirt on," I responded, startled.

"That's not so bad," she grinned, leaping out of bed. Of course, like some terrible coming-of-age movie, a string caught and began unraveling her robe. So now I had a conundrum. A veritable battle of my thoughts.

"Let it happen! Let it happen!" screeched my Lust. (Coincidently, did you know that screeched is the largest word in the English language with only 1 syllable?)

"Dayum girl!" shouted my Immaturity.

"Man, take a step back. You're in a frigging video game! "Reminded Self-Awareness.

"Hey, you need a break. Who's supposed to deal with this? Unwind!" yelled Greed.

"Save consummation foreth thy time when thee are doneth with thy act of holy wedlock!" begged Faith.

"What the hell does consummation mean?" I yelled aloud. Selena gave me a WTF look, and I was relieved of my internal conflict by a bright light that appeared in the middle of the room. It slowly solidified, and Kratos appeared in the middle of the room. Or rather, it looked like Kratos, but…I jumped off the bed. I overdid the jump and collided with Kratos. Or rather, I would have…but I passed right through him. _Ah, he must be a hologram._

"It's time for your training. Cecil, bring your saber. Selena, head for the Seraphim chamber first. We need to outfit you with an Exsphere."

"Well, where do I go?" I asked. Kratos smirked.

"I would transport you, but the system is malfunctioning. You'll have to walk. It's on the top level. I await you."

"Wait!" I yelled. "How do I put away the-"But it was too late. Kratos was already gone. _Damn him. _Selena giggled.

"Shut up," I murmured, storming out. I looked around at the huge mansion, and realized I didn't have a clue where an elevator was. I wandered around for a good 15 minutes, trying to find an angel to tell me where it was.

I walked up a long, upholstered corridor, thinking maybe THIS one had an elevator. I heard something- voices. They appeared to be coming from a room above me. ABOVE me? Then I remembered- angel senses. I concentrated, beating my wings so to get up near the ceiling. I marveled on how easy it was to fly. I just thought about it, and my body complied.

"-I told you, the answer is no!" yelled a feminine voice.

"And I told you, if you want to return home, you're going to have to help us!" Retorted another voice, male.

"No, I know what will happen if you awaken the tree! It will absorb both of the worlds' mana!"

"And if we awaken it, it will provide tenfold the amount of mana!"

"And it WILL FAIL! I've told you time and time again!"

"Don't give me that fortune telling crap, it never works!"

_Wow._ I could not, for the life of me, determine who belonged to the female voice, although I did recall the other. _Yuan._Discussing the Giant Kharlan Tree event, which, of course, I shouldn't know about, because it hadn't happened yet! Of course, the person on the floor above me appeared to know about it as well. Most strange…

A silence fell over the two. I thought this would be a good time to skedaddle, so I lowered myself down from the ceiling. Or rather, tried to. My wings would not cooperate. I was stuck hovering near the ceiling. I concentrated. The wings promptly disappeared. I had time for an "Aw sh-" before I fell to earth. Or rather, Wealgia. Whatever, you know what I mean. My angelic hearing picked up.

"Did you hear that?"

"Guards!"

"Dammit!" That last one was me, having fallen to the ground. Fortunately, the Crystal absorbed most of the pain, and I was up and running within 5 seconds. The saber Kratos had told me to bring with me was in my hand, although I didn't remember taking it out of the room. I had no time to ponder my acquisition, as 20+ Cruxis guards came charging up the corridor. Not the run of the mill angels. No, these angels were super-duper Angel Swordsman and Commanders. My chances didn't look too good, so I concentrated and willed my wings to appear. _Come on,__ come on,__ you stupid Crystal, I don't like you and you don't like me, but I need you! _My wings exploded from my back, leaving only feathers in my wake.

I barreled through the corridors, looking for the exit. I could hear the fluttering of wings behind me, and put on a burst on speed. Left-right-up-straight-The exit! It was so close! I chanced a glance at the angels. They were coming up too quick. They'd intercept me. There was no choice but to stand and fight, and that was no option. But then I remembered. I was in a video game. I could use magic!

Just then, an Archer Angel managed to shoot an arrow. It grazed my arm, and I could see the blood rising to the surface already. I should've felt pain, but I felt anger instead. Nobody was going to kill me in a damn video game! Suddenly, a phrase came to me. I froze, and hovered over the carpet, chanting these words,

"Let the sacrifice of my own blood be enough to engulf the enemy in torment! Engulfment!" The angels stopped dead. They looked around, no emotion showing on their face, and I had just begun to think that a spell made up in the heat of the moment might not have been such a good idea when-

A cylinder of red liquid surrounded them. I had a horrible feeling that it was their own lifeblood. It slowly contracted, strangling the angels. This was too much. I felt a spasm of pain, and a quick glance in a convenient mirror showed my eyes were glowing scarlet. Then, I blacked out.

AN: Methinks there will be a couple quick updates here, as this was originally 2 parts, but I cut it down. Read and review and you get a cookie!


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